NBA Commissioner Adam Silver floats bold vision for Grizzlies amid rumors of team leaving Memphis
Rumors of the Memphis Grizzlies possibly leaving the Bluff City are nothing new, but they have increased in recent months after the franchise's worst season in nearly a decade. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, however, recently explained that Memphians have nothing to worry about, but offered a proposal to a team that some fans are hesitant to commit to.
Silver recently joined the “Pardon My Take” podcast and, for the most part, delivered a Memphis-friendly message.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver held a press conference at the Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Feb. 15, 2025, during NBA All-Star weekend. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu)
“[Memphis] it's been a great market historically for the NBA, and there's an amazing history in that city and an amazing culture,” Silver explained on the podcast. “There's no reason why the Memphis Grizzlies can't be successful.”
He also noted that Grizzlies owner Robert Pera “has no interest in moving the team from Memphis, he's made that clear.”
Those comments from Silver are music to the ears of any Memphis resident and Grizz fan, especially with LeBron James just starting the city's criticism of the NBA scene.
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Rich Paul chats with LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 4, 2026. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
No one in their right mind, including myself who lived in Memphis for years, would put it in the top half of NBA cities from a geographic perspective. What makes James' criticism more notable, however, is that he suggested the Grizzlies should move to Nashville.
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Silver doesn't hate the watered-down version of James' idea, as he explained that he would “love” to see the Grizz play a few more shows in Music City.
“Nashville is a growing city; there are great things happening there,” Silver said on the podcast. “If it were up to me, I'd like them to play a few games a year in Nashville and be a Tennessee team, as much as they can.”
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NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks during a press conference at the Emirates NBA Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on Dec. 16, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Images)
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The San Antonio Spurs tried a very similar idea that Silver floated, playing two 'home games' in Austin, Texas, a few years ago to expand their market. The Grizzlies taking the same approach and playing two or more games in Nashville at the Bridgestone Arena, home of the Nashville Predators in the heart of the city, certainly won't hurt the franchise's cause.
Although the cities are very different in every way imaginable, Nashville and Memphis are separated by just 212 miles, and even with the many transplants that have moved to the Tennessee capital in recent years, it's still home. it is abundant of Grizzlies fans who would welcome a brief 'hometown' on Broadway.
